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October 9, 2013

Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Recipes

Fall is the season of the pumpkin. Once the hot summer days are gone, everything pumpkin flavored appears everywhere you look. We get out our pumpkin-scented candles, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin spice air freshener, pumpkin spice...everything!

The scent and flavor of pumpkin seems to have such a profound effect on those of us who love this time of year so much. For me, as soon as October 1st arrives, I'm ready for crisp leaves, Friday night football, and pumpkin spice lattes.

The funny thing is, I didn't grow up eating a lot of pumpkin-related food. We did not have pumpkin pie very often. We were always sweet potato pie fans. My grandfather made the best sweet potato pies ever, so no one ever bothered to compete.

As time went on, I discovered the goodness of the pumpkin and all of the wonderful things that you can do with it. Pumpkin isn't just for pie anymore! Pumpkin can be made into so many things-- soup, chili, pasta dishes, not to mention all the sweet treats like muffins and cake.

Aside from the fact that pumpkin is delicious, it is also very healthy. Pumpkin is full of vitamin A, fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin C, and a lot of other health benefits. Best of all? It is a vegetable that I can get my kids to eat very easily with no fuss!

All year long, I try to get pumpkin into my family's diet in different ways. Sometimes I incorporate it into our main meal, while other times I will add pumpkin puree to our morning oatmeal.

Here are a few of my very favorite pumpkin recipes that my kids truly love: